Bocadillo Sandwich Kit

One of the very first orders of business when we arrive at Barajas airport in Madrid is to stop by one of the many cafes and order a café con leche and a bocadillo de jamón. Delicious in its simplicity, a bocadillo consists of a small loaf of crusty bread cut in half, coated with extra virgin olive oil, then layered with cured ham and aged cheese. You can make a bocadillo with many other ingredients - a wedge of tortilla española for instance, or roasted peppers, or thin slices of grilled pork. But to us, a bocadillo of jamon and queso is the purest expression of this very Spanish sandwich.

This kit features four loaves of bread from Galicia, crusty and delicious after 10 minutes of baking, a half pound of thinly sliced cured Serrano ham, and a wedge of cheese from Zamora, similar to Manchego, with a full nutty flavor.

Assembling a bocadillo could not be easier! Slice open the freshly baked bread, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, layer thin slices of jamón and cheese and you are done. If you want a bit more complexity, add a few piquillo or guindilla peppers to the mix. Cut the bocadillo in four pieces and serve with a cool cup of gazpacho.